Theresa DeVries was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 after she found a large lump that a 3-D mammogram could not detect due to having dense breasts.
“I remember my oncologist saying, ‘You have the cancer with big personality.’ It was HER2 positive,” Theresa said.
At the beginning of her cancer experience, Theresa’s Aunt Martha told her to look at the American Cancer Society for more information.
“I’m so happy she did because the in-depth, detailed, and up-to-date information ACS provided was extensive and incredibly informative,” Theresa said. “I had so many questions and it gave me information with which I was then able use to ask intelligent questions of all my treatment providers. I’m a huge proponent of encouraging everyone to be the CEO of their own healthcare. Doctors do their best but you must be an advocate for yourself, ask lots of questions, and demand the care you need and deserve.”
Theresa received neoadjuvant treatment (chemo and targeted therapy IV drugs) and surgery in Grand Rapids. She then spent six and a half weeks at Mayo Clinic, where she received proton-beam radiation (versus photon) because the tumor was located very close to her heart and lung.
“While at Mayo Clinic, I was able to experience the incredible benefit of ACS’s Hope Lodge,” she said. “It took over two weeks to get in but it provided my husband and I a place to live in community with other people and their caregivers who were going through cancer treatment at Mayo. The first two and a half weeks were spent paying for hotel rooms and getting up in the middle of the night to drive to my radiation treatments in the middle of winter in Rochester, Minnesota. Being able to stay at the Hope Lodge was absolutely wonderful. It was right across the street from an entrance to Mayo’s massive underground tunnel system.
“We spent Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s at Mayo and the Hope Lodge made the holidays so much better than they otherwise would have been staying in a hotel room all alone. Many groups brought in dinners for the guests of the Lodge and we would eat together. The Lodge was decorated for the holidays, as well. It made a difficult season away from home and family as good as it could be. The ability to stay there for free for four weeks was a gift we greatly appreciate to this day.”
When talking about cancer, Theresa does not use the word “survivor.”
“Cancer can always come back—it’s always in the back of your mind. And somehow, I feel [the word ‘survivor’] diminishes the valiant and courageous fight others go through that don’t ‘survive,’” she said. “I think of it more as one of life’s experiences that I happened to go through and that it is part of my life’s journey.”
Theresa is married to the love of her life and best friend for almost 30 years. They have two wonderful adult children who are both married, as well as a two-year-old grandson and two additional grandchildren “on the way.” For fun, she loves to travel—mostly to warm places in the sun surrounded by water—hiking, and experiencing nature.
Photos courtesy of Theresa DeVries.